Your Soul Knows

Oh, the things we fail to truly appreciate until they are unavailable! Things like electricity, running water, air conditioning, a properly working washing machine - the value of these modern conveniences are often overlooked. In Lamentations 3 Jeremiah spend quite a few verses on his afflictions: "I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of His wrath. He has led me and made me walk in darkness and not in light. Surely He has turned His hand against me repeatedly all the day." (Lamentations 3:1-3 AMP). He continues throughout the chapter to describe a dismal life filled with enemies of his soul and a tremendous hopelessness that threatened. For sure, we can identify with him in this regard. Our focus can become the have-nots of life rather than what we know to be true. Thankfully, Jeremiah doesn't linger there too long: "But this I call to mind, therefore I have hope. It is because of the LORD's lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness." (Verses 21-23). The mercies of God are always sweet and welcomed but perhaps after times of intense struggle, they seem sweeter and more welcome; it is good that we are afflicted, that we suffer. It is in those hard times, we become more aware of who God is and how tender He is always toward us. Jackie Gleason was known to say, "how sweet it is;" and David said in Psalm 139:14, "my soul knows it very well." O child of God, listen to what ... your soul knows.

Living Right-Side Up

It takes very little to turn a day upside down! Maintaining a calendar helps keep Mister Bill and I on-track ... appointments, meetings, events, deadlines, etc. A common discussion at the breakfast table is what is on the calendar for the day and week. It isn't uncommon, of course, for plan's to be up-ended, cancelled, rescheduled or cancelled altogether. A psalm of Moses says, "O satisfy us with Your lovingkindness in the morning that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14 NASB). We can save ourselves from needless stress when we realize our plans amount to very little in relationship to God's perfect plans. In Him - day by day - we find the satisfaction for our souls; and, the psalmist enjoys satisfaction early in the day ... in the morning, he writes. I suggest those morning hours may well be the most slippery - moments turning into minutes, minutes into hours then "boom" the morning is gone. In Mark 1:35, we learn that Jesus rose early "in the morning" to spend time with The Father. A pre-determined, deliberate and well-orchestrated start to the day. There's a much greater reward and certain satisfaction in a day begun with The Lord rather than a perfectly-kept calendar. It's really the only way to live ... right-side-up!

Just Jesus

It's true - we are life-long learners. I suggest we are [also] life-long ... un-learners! Just think about the things we've had to un-learn in order to take advantage of new and more efficient ways of doing things: shopping, cooking, banking, traveling, etc.  As children we grew to learn and assume our independence from our parents - that's a good thing. What is not good, however, is how Believers often indiscriminately shrug-off their dependence on God. Oswald Chambers notes how in Scripture clouds are often associated with God. For example, "Clouds and thick darkness are all around Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne." (Psalm 97:2) and "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so, Amen." (Revelation 1:7). Respectively, we often attempt to face life's storm clouds independently of The One Who surrounds Himself as such. How do we un-learn this I-can-do-this-on-my-own mentality? "Looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only." (Mark 9:8). Perhaps the storms in our lives aren't meant to teach us as much as they are designed that we may un-learn dependence on anything or anyone except God! Embracing newer and more efficient ways of living isn't all bad, but may we never-ever grow into an independence of The Father. When we look into the clouds, always see ... just Jesus.

Stay Amazed!

What do you find amazing these days? What once went into the shock-column is now seen as common ... un-amazing. It is concerning [to me] how Believers are no longer amazed at God. Noah Webster (1828) says to be amazed is to be "astonished by something extraordinary." Jeremiah wrote, "It is [God] Who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the heavens" (Jeremiah 51:15 ESV). A former pastor made this profound statement: "we've lost our wonder of who our God is." How can this be? How can we not wonder at flocks of birds that fly in perfect formation, or planets and stars that line up perfectly, or waves that know just how far to wash ashore, or the form human life takes in a mother's womb? The wonder of wonders that God would come to this earth in human form to save lives from eternal hopelessness. Are we not astonished by the extraordinary-ness of our God! "I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene - And wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclear - How marvelous, how wonderful - And my song shall ever be - How marvelous, how wonderful - Is my Savior's love for me" (Charles Hutchinson Gabriel, 1856-1932). Let us ever ... stay amazed!

Be Little

Chicken Little wasn't exactly happy with his "little" self.  Most people I know who are little (as in short) would not choose that height.  I am 5'8" and have never considered myself short nor especially tall, however, I find myself struggling to reach things shoved to the depths of my kitchen cabinets. It has been an especially nice that God blessed me with guys-of-height.  G. Tersteegen wrote "how lovely it is to be nothing when God is all."  Most of us behave much "too big for our britches" - a particular bigness I heard about as a child.  Taking that attitude with my Granny was risky business and certain trouble with God. Getting taken down a notch or two by Granny's switch was also mild compared to God's lessons in humility.  Those lessons are necessary when we become wrapped up in me-myself-and-I and lose all usefulness to God -- quite a contrast to the humble example of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah 14:5 says, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not." There are sweet blessings in littleness no matter what Chicken Little thinks. Oh! Just ... be little!